Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Guide: How To Get A D-Dog

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain allows you to recruit a variety of characters in the game. This is defined by the game as a “Buddy” system and you can select your “Buddy” before starting each of the mission in the game. D-Dog (Diamond Dog) is one of the “Buddy” that you can recruit in the game and this guide covers details on how to recruit him.

How To Recruit D-Dog

D-Dog can be recruited randomly rather than through a story mission. The earliest you can recruit the dog is when you start Story Mission 4. You will see a small pup near the landing of the helicopter. You will have the option to tranquilize him and Fulton back to the Mother Base. This will allow you to add him as a “Buddy” in the game. In case you miss it during this point in the game, you will be able to locate him later in other story missions randomly wandering around the world map.

How To Use D-Dog

D-Dog will be found as a pup so he will require some time to grow up in the game. You can use him after a select amount of time has passed in the game. Just proceed to finish the story missions or side-ops until he is all grown up on the Mother Base.

You can then use D-Dog as the buddy by selecting him during the Equipment Selection screen. You get the Equipment Selection if you start a new mission from the helicopter or drop to any point on the map using Helicopter.

D-Dog can prove to be really useful in locating the guards/prisoners as well assisting you in combat. Since you are restricted to using just one “Buddy” in the game, you will have to drop closer to your main mission location since you won’t be able to ride D-Dog (as cool as it sounds) in the game, and the horse won’t be available.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is out now on the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.